Hello?
by CookiesForMe
Summary: Mainly Jane/Lisbon. Jane has visits from the ghost of his dead daughter, but there are some things not adding up. Is Charlotte really a ghost? And just what is happening with Lisbon and Jane's relationship after he says some horrible things to her?. Please R&R, better than it sounds i promise x NOT A TAG TO DEVIL'S CHERRY, THIS FIC IS OLDER THAN DEVIL'S CHERRY!
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N): Hey, this is yet another multichapter. Yeah I know, I know, I really have to stop doing them until I'm certain I can finish them but I couldn't help this one. I already have most of the fic written or planned out, so I know exactly where this one is going, I think. This is something I thought of when I realised that there are several fics where Angela visits Jane as a ghost, but there doesn't seem to be many that Charlotte is in. I wanted to change that, so here we go. The title is from the song Hello by Evanescence. It fits this fic pretty well, so I figured it was a good title to use.**

**This could get graphic in later chapters, but for now it isn't too bad, if I'm honest. I try to keep the language and violence to a minimum as I don't really like describing it, but sometimes it is necessary. This is simply a warning for later though.**

**I do not own the mentalist.**

**Hello?**

It had been a bad day for Patrick Jane. In fact, bad was an understatement. He had ended up hypnotising two suspects, ran off to concoct a plan without telling anyone, and almost gotten himself killed by the murderer. Again. Then, when Lisbon had been telling him off again, he had finally had enough of it all and lashed out. He cringed even now at the harsh words he had spoken to his superior.

"_Jane, how many times have I told you that running off without telling people will get you killed?"_

"_But it didn't, Lisbon."_

"_It could have."_

"_It still didn't."_

"_If I hadn't worked it out when I did then yes, you would be dead."_

"_Then why did you?"_

"_Excuse me?"_

"_Why did you work it out and come to save me then?"_

"_What? Why would you ask me that?"_

"_I have a good reason to. You are always right, aren't you Lisbon? You can never be wrong; you can never admit there might be another version of the truth, can you?"_

"_What?"_

"_Well, Lisbon, I've had enough. I don't have to sit here and be insulted and yelled at by you. Goodbye, Agent Lisbon."_

"_Wait, Jane, What are you-"_

"_I hate you, did you know that? I'm not perfect, and I know that, but you, you think you're perfect and everything has to go your way or not at all. I'm sick of it. Stay away from me. I want nothing more to do with you."_

Jane shuddered in horror and disgust directed at himself. He hadn't meant it at all, but he couldn't go back now. The look of shock and hurt on Lisbon's face was enough to haunt him forever. He also thought he had seen something break inside her, but he figured that was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

He stormed into his motel room and dropped straight onto the bed only to jump back up with a strangled scream stuck in his throat and widened eyes. There was a teenage girl sat cross-legged on his bed with long blonde ringlets and familiar blue eyes staring at him patiently.

"Charlotte?" He asked in a croaky whisper. The girl grinned up at him brightly.

"Hey dad," Charlotte answered from where she sat on his bed. "You're an idiot, did you know that?"

"You're… You're dead though."

"That would be the popular assumption."

"Then how…?"

"The 'Great Beyond'." Charlotte said in a sarcastic tone, waving her hand in a noncommittal gesture and resumed staring at him intently. Jane felt rather uncomfortable with the gaze of the girl sat on his bed comfortably.

"Charlie? Am I going mad?"

Charlotte threw her head back and laughed. "No," She told him firmly. "You are most definitely not mad, dad. However, that doesn't mean you're not an idiot."

Jane sat down on the edge of the bed. "So, if I'm not mad, and you are really here, why are you here?"

"To haunt you," Charlotte said lightly, shrugging her small shoulders. "As I keep telling you, and you keep ignoring, you're an idiot."

"Why do you say that honey?" He asked her gently.

"You hurt her. She was only worried and you told her you hated her. That's definitely something only an idiot would do."

"What? You heard all of that?"

"Heard it all, yes. I also saw it all. You hurt her badly, dad."

"Really?" He asked, running his hand over his face tiredly.

"Really." She told him firmly.

"You're a lot bossier than I remember," He told her with a rueful smile.

"I had a lot to learn over the years," She told him with a small smile. "I'm going for now, but I'll be back to haunt you later. You can count on it."

She walked over to the open window, waved at him with a little laugh, and threw herself backwards over the ledge. Jane ran forwards immediately in horror but couldn't see a thing in the blackness all around him. Oh well, he thought, ghosts couldn't hurt themselves. He rubbed his hand over his face again and threw himself once again onto his bed, falling into a light and fitful slumber.

…

Below Jane's motel room, Charlotte sat up from the old yet comfortable mattress with a small laugh. "Thank you," She said gratefully to the shadows and the small figure of Teresa Lisbon walked into the dim light before the place where the girl was sat.

"What did you say to him?" She asked the child curiously.

She grinned mischievously and looked up to where she had fallen from the motel window. "He thought I was a ghost so I told him I was haunting him for a while. I also said he hurt you and that I'd seen and heard everything." Lisbon sighed and shook her head fondly, helping the blonde child up and to her SUV that was also parked in the shadows so Jane wouldn't spot it at all.

"Do you want to stay at mine until he finds out the real truth?" She asked quietly as she helped the girl into the passenger seat. She reached out and hugged Lisbon gratefully.

"Please. Thank you so much." She told Lisbon as she climbed into the driver's seat and put the keys into the ignition. "You remind me a lot of mum. She was kind to a fault as well."

Lisbon coloured slightly and swallowed heavily at the mention of the girl's mother but made no comment. That didn't deter the girl though.

"Can you be my new mum? I know I'm old enough to not bother about it that much, but I would really like one, please. Please can you be my new mum Teresa?"

Lisbon sighed but turned slightly to glance at the girl sat beside her. "Sure, Charlotte, but you can never forget Angela, okay? I don't think I'd be able to forgive myself if you felt you had to forget your actual mum around me. You can even talk to me about her if you want. Your dad talks about her too sometimes. She sounds like an amazing person." Lisbon spotted a sign for a nearby diner and quickly changed the uncomfortable subject. "Are you hungry? I can stop at a diner if you want something edible to eat. I'm afraid I don't have much in my apartment that is considered actual food, or is before its eat-by date."

"Thanks mum, I'd love some food," Charlotte said brightly. "All that planning made me hungry. Do they do eggs at the diner?"

"Yeah, they do eggs, Charlotte. What planning?" Lisbon asked curiously as she pulled into the parking lot of a diner they frequented if Rigsby was in the car more than an hour at a time. It was the best one they had found in years and the staff was non-invasive, which was exactly what they needed most of the time.

"Well, you don't think my dad is going to do what you did, do you? He's not just going to take my word that I'm his dead daughter who is very much alive, is he?"

**TBC…?**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N): Second part…**

**Hello?**

**Chapter 2**

Lisbon sat tensely across the table from Charlotte. The girl had eggs and bacon with coca-cola for her drink whereas Lisbon just had a cup of coffee in front of her, barely touched. Charlotte ate daintily, making sure to use her knowledge of good table manners in her favour. Teresa Lisbon seemed like the person to judge another person on what was inside rather than trivial things, but Charlotte couldn't take any chances. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain that her father and Teresa Lisbon were close, almost inseparable. Although at the moment, it seemed like they were separated.

Lisbon raised the coffee mug once again to her lips, sighed and put it down again without touching the dark steamy liquid inside it. Charlotte put her knife and fork down with a clatter, drawing Lisbon's attention.

"You're upset." It wasn't a question.

Lisbon sighed and nodded her head. "I guess I just thought… I mean, after all these years… You know, I don't know what I was thinking anymore." She sounded small and defeated and Charlotte hated it. Teresa was supposed to be strong and unwavering, not solemn and tired, as though she had had enough of fielding body blows from life.

"You thought that in the end, my dad might be just a little bit grateful for all you've done for him over the years." Charlotte said gently, holding Lisbon's hand in both of hers carefully. Lisbon gave her a watery grin and looked down again at the ground, slightly embarrassed.

"Yeah… I guess."

"It's okay," Charlotte told her gently. "I understand." Lisbon nodded.

"Okay. Are you going to eat your eggs?"

Charlotte turned back to her food without another word and Lisbon returned to her mainly untouched drink that was now stone cold.

"I have a spare room that you could use," Lisbon piped up after a while, causing Charlotte to look up with renewed interest.

"Really? I mean, you don't have to. I'm more than happy with a couch, or even the floor."

"No, no, I have a spare room you can use. Just a warning though; I had it decorated specifically for my niece when she was about five. It's pink with flowers and hearts and a mad obsession with princesses. I just thought you should know before we get back home, that's all."

"No, that's fine, honestly." Charlotte took a long gulp of her drink and smiled up at Lisbon shyly. "I'd forgotten what it was like to have someone fussing and worrying after you all the time. It's nice having you as a mum, so thank you."

Lisbon smiled genuinely back. "I've forgotten what that feels like as well, if I'm honest. I'm used to being a mother to people though Charlotte, so I know all the tricks in the book." She added playfully, pointing a finger in Charlotte's direction and squinting her eyes comically.

Charlotte laughed at that and Lisbon grinned at hearing the carefree sound from the child. "Come on," She said to Charlotte, who immediately stood up obediently. "Let's get home. You'll want lots of sleep for whatever plans you have."

…

The next morning, Jane woke up once again for the fifth time in as many hours with an uncomfortable feeling that someone was watching him intently. He opened his eyes into a squint to be met with the sight of a bright eyed Charlotte sat on one of the chairs set at a small table near the dingy window, watching him with a small smile on her face. She got up from her seat once she saw he was awake.

"How did you get in here?" He asked sleepily. Charlotte fixed him with a stare until he realised what he had said. "Oh yeah, you're a ghost. I forgot." Charlotte had to withhold a grin. She wasn't about to tell him that Lisbon had broken into his dingy motel room for her at five that morning and given her the keys to her apartment for when she had had her fill of winding up her father for the day. Jane sat up and glanced at the clock. Half-past seven. He had to get moving right now, so there wasn't much time for him to chat with people who weren't really there today.

"Not that it's not good to see you, because it is truly, but I really need to get ready for work now, so can you please...?"

"What work?" Charlotte asked him with raised eyebrows and a patient expression. Jane sighed in regret as he remembered his argument with Lisbon the day before and all he had said to her. He sat back on his bed in defeat, his shoulders slumped and his frame heavy. Charlotte grinned to herself as she sent a text behind her back slyly, making sure her father wouldn't see what she was doing. The pair sat in an oppressive silence for almost five minutes until it was broken by the shrill ringing of Jane's cell phone.

"You going to get that?" Charlotte asked cheekily. "My bet is that it's Lisbon who wants to speak to you right now."

Jane looked at the screen curiously and more than a little fearful that she could be right. She was right. It was Lisbon. He pressed the phone to his ear warily in case she decided to yell at him straight away. She was more than entitled to as he well knew, but he didn't really want her to. However, she didn't yell at all at him, which was more than a little surprising considering this was Lisbon, the one person he knew like the back of his hand.

"Hey Jane, I know you're there," She said into the phone, sounding weary and just plain tired, but not mad. "I know you don't have anything else to do, and I won't stop you from coming back if that's what you want. I know you really need to solve the Red John case as well, so you're fine if you want to come back. See you whenever, if you decide to come back that is." The line went dead and Jane gazed up in wonder to where his little girl had been sat, but Charlotte was already gone. Jane shrugged lightly and stood up once again. Who knew why ghosts came and went the way they did? It was time for him to get ready for work and stop thinking about ghosts that uncannily resembled his dead daughter.

…

Outside the room, Charlotte rang a number hurriedly as she practically ran down the smelly stairway of the motel in an attempt to put some more distance between her and her father. When it was picked up on the other side, she began talking to the other end immediately.

"Hey mum, thank you so much for that…"

…

Lisbon answered the cell phone on a sigh and heard the rushing voice of Charlotte on the other end. She laughed a little down the phone at the girl's bright and bouncy tone.

"Hold it Charlotte. You might want to get out of there before he shows up to come here first. It will be a bit hard to convince him you're a ghost if that happens." She put the phone on speakerphone as she continued to work on her endless stack of paperwork at the same time.

She didn't see her team minus Jane stood in the doorway of her office listening to her conversation curiously.

"_Yeah, okay, okay, got it mum. I'll be fine."_

"I know you will, but that's not the point. If this doesn't work, you won't be the only one who'll get into loads of crap and you know it. I still don't have food at home, but I left some money on the counter for you in case you're hungry today before I get in. I'll pick something up on my way home for dinner, okay?"

"_Okay, thank you. Do you think dad will believe me?"_

"Honestly sweetie, I don't know. We just have to hope for the best in this situation. I'll see you soon, hopefully. I'll call you if we get a case, okay?"

"_Okay, bye then mum."_

"Bye sweetie."

Lisbon had hung up on her phone call to Charlotte before she saw her team looking in at her with shock on their faces. Damn, she had completely forgotten she would have to tell her team something. She waved them in, motioning for them to shut the door behind them. Once that was done, Cho spoke up bluntly.

"Who was that boss?"

"Charlotte," Lisbon answered in a small voice, already knowing she would have to tell them everything. She didn't like keeping unnecessary secrets from her team at the best of times, and badly wanted them to know everything. She was just scared of getting hurt if they knew everything about her.

"Charlotte?" Grace asked in confusion. "Charlotte who? And why was she calling you mum, boss?"

Lisbon took a deep breath and quickly decided to bite the bullet. "Her name is Charlotte Anne Jane." The look of shock and disbelief written on the other three faces in her office told her all she needed to know.

"But boss," Rigsby pointed out shakily. "That's Jane's daughter's name and his little girl is dead."

"It is Jane's daughter," Lisbon said in a low voice. "Red John took her rather than kill her for a later purpose that she doesn't know about. The person she was staying with died without telling Red John where Charlotte was so she could escape without anyone noticing. Burnt the house down with two unidentifiable remains inside. She found me from the tabloid papers. My name gets lumped with Jane's an awful lot these days, or so it seems anyway. She asked me to help her so I am doing. She wants us to catch Red John as well, but the legal way instead of her father's vengeance plan."

"And you're sure its Charlotte?" Grace asked doubtfully. Lisbon nodded firmly.

"Yes, I'm sure. Last month, Jane told me some… personal things about his family. I'm not telling you what he said though as I won't betray him like that. Charlotte also told me some things that she could only know if she actually was his daughter. Also," She added with a slight blush, "She agreed to a DNA test that I managed to do off the books. She's definitely Jane's daughter."

"Okay, boss. Is there anything we can do to help?" Cho asked for the three of them.

"Well, actually, there is. You see…"

**TBC…**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N): Hey, this gets progressively angsty as the chapter goes on, just thought I'd warn you. This is now changing to a T, mainly because I'm paranoid and will probably forget to change the rating otherwise. Unfortunately, I have now made myself hate Patrick Jane once more. It's not fair. Oh well… Thank you to the lovely people who reviewed the last chapter… **silver rosebud** and **Berkwood Court** thank you both so much! This is for you both especially!**

**I do not own the mentalist and I am sorry for any and all mistakes. Please feel free to point them out to me.**

**Hello?**

**Chapter 3**

Jane sat on his couch and sighed in bliss. This was where he truly belonged. He hadn't been to see Lisbon yet, but he figured he could do that in a minute or so. It appeared as though his fearless team leader was busy anyway. The blinds were all shut in the office, and none of the team would go in there at all. They all avoided it as though it contained the plague. Curious. Jane got up from his couch and strolled casually over to Lisbon's office, walking in without opening it as per usual. He saw Lisbon sat at her desk, actually nearing the seemingly continuous bottom of the usually endless paperwork she always had to tackle. He turned slightly and got the shock of his life.

Charlotte was sat on the couch in the corner of Lisbon's office as though she belonged there and had done for a while. She grinned cheekily up at Jane and gave him a little wave. Jane's jaw dropped open and Lisbon had to stop her own cheeky grin before it showed on her face. She had agreed to this part of the plan quickly and knew it had to be done or Jane would be unreachable, possibly forever.

"Are you okay Jane?" She asked him, concern seeping through her tone. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Charlotte started laughing silently at Lisbon's deliberate choice of words and Jane turned to face Lisbon, open mouthed and looking stunned. "Lisbon, can you please tell me what is over there please?" He asked Lisbon, pointing at Charlotte sat on her couch. Lisbon looked over and frowned.

"It's my couch Jane. You know the one you bought for me?"

"Yeah, but what's on the couch Lisbon?"

"Cushions? That blue throw I bought for it last week?"

"That's it?"

"Um, yeah. Why Jane? Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Jane muttered as he sat himself carefully on her couch, still staring in the direction of Charlotte. Lisbon put a look of complete concern on her features and walked in front of him.

"Would you like me to get Cho in here for you? Maybe he'll be able to see whatever it is you can apparently see." Before Jane could answer her, she walked swiftly over to her door and yelled out for Cho to get into her office straight away. Cho did so promptly. "Jane said there's something over there so what can you see?"

Cho squinted in Charlotte's direction, but made no indication he could see the giggling child. "Do you mean the couch?" He asked Jane bluntly, who groaned and put his head in his hands. Lisbon waved Cho away and knelt before Jane's slumped form. Charlotte quickly locked the door and drew the blinds.

"Jane? Are you okay?" Lisbon asked, real concern in her voice now as she placed her hand on Jane's suit pant covered knee. Jane looked up at her, a kind of desperation in his eyes that Lisbon had never seen before.

"Please tell me you see her too," He whispered up at her, looking forlorn and lost. Lisbon closed her eyes briefly and looked to Charlotte, who nodded discretely. Lisbon sighed.

"Yes Jane, I see her," She told him gently. Jane looked up in shock. He was half shocked at her words and half shocked at the fact that Lisbon was still speaking to him after the appalling way he had treated her only the day before. "Charlotte, come here a minute," She told the blonde girl quietly, and Charlotte stepped up to stand beside Lisbon in front of Jane. "Jane, this is still your child, and you two need to talk. I'll be in the break room if you need me."

Lisbon tried to leave at that point, but Charlotte grasped her hand with her own, a pleading look in her eyes. "No! I mean, please don't. Please stay while I try to tell him. I can't do this on my own mum." Lisbon nodded gently and Charlotte immediately hugged Lisbon tightly in gratitude. Jane stood up suddenly, pointing an accusing finger at the two females.

"You're not a ghost." Charlotte shook her head, not relinquishing her hold on Lisbon one bit.

"You're alive." Another nod from the blonde girl sat before him.

"You knew all along." This time it was Lisbon's turn to nod, though she looked extremely guilty and ashamed of herself as she did so.

"You helped her with it all." Lisbon nodded again.

Jane sat down, exhaling a pent up breath as he did. Lisbon sat on the edge of the couch beside him, while Charlotte pulled up a chair to sit opposite them.

"I helped her Jane," Lisbon whispered to him, looking down at her lap the entire time. "I can't say I wanted to, because I didn't. However, I wanted you to have a light in your life again, and that involved helping Charlotte in her plans. I only wanted you to be happy again." Lisbon's voice broke at that point and she looked away, ashamed that others had seen her as a weak person with one lone tear trailing down her pale freckled face.

Jane turned to Charlotte, resolutely ignoring Lisbon. He wasn't sure what to make of her confession just yet so he was just ignoring her for now. Charlotte sighed but told her story anyway, her tone blank and blunt as she did her best to keep all emotion from her voice and face.

"That night in the Malibu house, I wasn't killed. He took me instead, and told me I served a later purpose in his game with you. I lived in a small bungalow here in Sacramento. He found it funny that I was so near to you yet still so far away.

"I lived there for years with one other person, Namir. He looked after me, fed me, clothed me, and did pretty much everything for me. I loved him as a father and he saw me as a daughter he never had, so when he had a chance to save me, he took it."

Charlotte took a large but shaky breath and felt Lisbon take her hand in a small level of comfort, but it was enough to get her to continue the story she had told only once before to the woman currently holding her hand.

"He had terminal cancer. I watched him getting sicker and sicker day after day. It was… painful… to watch. I don't think my pain even covers a hundredth of the pain he must have felt. He was used to being strong, unrelenting, a survivor. To get weaker in his own body and not being able to do a thing about it… He didn't want that, and he wanted me to have a better life.

"One day, he packed all my things into a small bag and gave me a folder with information on my parents and everything in your life up until now. He told me that as long as I got to you guys in time then Red John wouldn't find me in time to kill me without people finding out the truth. I had just gotten out of the house when the whole thing exploded behind me. I ran," She admitted in a small voice as she focused solely on the wooden floor beneath her sneakers. Lisbon squeezed her hand gently. Charlotte looked to Lisbon with a pleading and desperate look on her face. Lisbon nodded and turned to face a pale and shocked looking Jane.

"She came up here to the CBI but the guards wouldn't let her in," Lisbon told him in a low, level voice. "So, she went to the library to look you up. She knew you wouldn't believe she was real at first and she needed someone who would be on her side through it all. She found my name in the articles she found in the library and found my apartment. I came home from work and found her sat on my doorstep. She told me everything and asked me to help her. I said yes. Now, Charlotte, I um… I have to um… go." Lisbon told Charlotte in a shaky voice and darted out of her office before anyone could stop her. Charlotte watched her go, clearly concerned, but Jane was still watching the girl he had believed was a ghost.

"She lied to me," He muttered to himself, gradually getting louder as his anger seeped through. "She tells me we're a family, that we're supposed to trust each other and she lies to me! The selfish bitch!"

"Oh, shut up!" Charlotte snapped at him, causing him to close his mouth, looking startled. "You hurt her no end yesterday, and what does she do? Risks everything so that you can find some form of happiness again! I don't know what you did to deserve someone as caring and selfless as Teresa Lisbon, but I do know that you don't get to be so ungrateful about it!" She stood up abruptly and picked up her bag, slinging it over her arm and glaring at the man she knew was her father. "I don't believe you! She loves you, did you know that? And you treat her like crap! She doesn't deserve that from you!"

"Charlotte, mind your language!" Lisbon said from the doorway, her voice cold and emotionless. "He might deserve everything you want to say to him, but believe me; you're wasting your breath trying to talk sense into him. He won't listen. He never does. Do you want Chinese takeout for dinner? I know a great place round the corner from home."

"Sorry, mum. I'll mind my language around you from now on. Oh, and yes I would love some food," Charlotte said sincerely as she pulled her coat on and fastened it quickly. Lisbon laughed slightly at her as she grabbed her own jacket and car keys, slipping the jacket onto her slight frame and placing the keys into her pocket.

"No, I'm just saying you have to watch your language around your father, that's all. I don't mind as long as it isn't anything too bad, okay? Let's go before the takeout shop shuts. You'll love the food from there, I promise."

The two females left together without another word spoken to the man still sat in Lisbon's office. Jane could only watch as Lisbon and his daughter walked away from him, arm in arm and laughing together as Charlotte said something to Lisbon as they headed to the elevator. Jane put his head in his hands and sighed loudly.

What had he just done?

**TBC…?**


	4. Chapter 4

**(A/N): I am so sorry for the long wait for another update! I truly apologise for that. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed, or favourited this story. Someone should ask the dictionary people to turn favourited into a word. At least for people on fanfiction. Anyway, I don't blame you if you don't even want to read this, but I'd really love it if you could review this and tell me what you think.**

**Oh and btw, the next chapter will be a lovely fluffy one, I think.**

**I do not own the mentalist.**

**Hello?**

**Chapter 4**

Charlotte sat silently across from an equally quiet Lisbon as they ate out again, this time at a Chinese restaurant around the block from Lisbon's house. Lisbon had been meaning to try the food here for ages, and Charlotte didn't really mind what she ate as long as she wasn't on her own whilst doing so. She enjoyed spending time with the petite dark haired woman she now considered a mum as it showed her that there were always second chances, and people willing to help you out no matter what they believed at the time. She just wished her dad was as open to everything as Teresa Lisbon seemed to be.

"I'm sorry," Lisbon finally said in a low voice, keeping her gaze to her half empty plate. Charlotte looked up shocked.

"Don't be, I found it funny. Especially the whole 'mind your language' bit when you only meant in front of him."

"That doesn't change anything. I still made you yell at your dad and fall out with him because of me. It's always my fault, I ruin things."

Charlotte grabbed her hand comfortingly. "Hey," She said softly, and Lisbon looked up fearfully. "If he can't accept the woman who's been constantly at his side saving his totally worthless butt for eight years, then there's no way I want him to accept me like that."

Lisbon smiled, tears clouding her vision as she squeezed Charlotte's hand gratefully. "Thanks Charlie."

"You're welcome… Mum."

Jane sat at the next table and took a look at the extensive menu, listening to the two girls' conversation curiously. He was really sorry now that he had the time to think rationally about it all, and he sincerely wanted to apologise to both of them, especially Lisbon, when he had a decent chance to do so. For now, he would wait.

"Can I talk to you about my mother please?" Charlotte asked, looking rather embarrassed and uncomfortable that she had asked such a thing to the petite dark haired woman sat before her. Lisbon straightened up instantly and set her cutlery to one side, still holding Charlotte's hand, though now she was the one giving comfort to Charlotte, instead of the other way round.

"Sure thing, honey. I already told you that you could tell me anything, and that I didn't want you to forget your real mum ever."

Charlotte nodded and cleared her throat nervously. "Well, I don't remember an awful lot about her, but I do remember something close to when she died and I was supposed to die. I was sat on the kitchen floor, colouring with some chunky crayons in every colour I could think of. It was a picture of me, my mother, my father, and a daft little house that looked nothing like the posh place we actually lived in. It was just a silly child's drawing, nothing more."

Lisbon laughed and produced a ragged piece of paper from her pocket. "You mean like this?" She asked, holding the messy child's drawing out for Charlotte to see. She frowned and nodded her head, her blonde curls bobbing as she did so.

"Yeah, exactly like this. Who drew this one?"

"Annabeth," Lisbon shrugged and put the picture back into her pocket. "I mean Annie. She hates the name Annabeth for some reason. She drew it when she was four and told me it was of her, her dad and me. They were living with me at the time until her dad found another job so he could find a place for the pair of them to live on their own."

"Who's Annie?"

"My niece. She wants to be a cop too when she's older, though I don't really know why. Anyway, I forgot, you were telling me a story about your mum."

"Oh, yeah. Well, my mother looked at it and smiled happily and told me to go and show my dad. I looked all over the house and the beach, but I couldn't find him. I went and told my mother, and she sighed and told me it was a beautiful picture and she would stick it up on the fridge as soon as my dad had seen it."

"Did he?" Lisbon asked softly. Charlotte smiled bitterly.

"No he didn't. My mother didn't even really like it."

"How do you know that?"

Charlotte looked at her plate, trying to bite back tears. "I found it in the trash the next day. I asked my mother about it, but she acted like she didn't have a clue what I was on about."

Lisbon looked heartbroken for the child sat opposite her. "Oh, Charlotte, I'm so sorry."

Charlotte wiped her eyes and looked up at Lisbon, her blue eyes shining with moisture still. "Yet the funny thing is, I bet you would have kept that picture along with everything else I did as a child."

Lisbon smiled back at the teenager. "Yeah I would have done. I have a whole box at home full to the brim with everything David did as a child." Charlotte frowned at the unfamiliar name, so Lisbon elaborated. "I have three younger brothers, Charlotte. Tommy, the oldest, is Annie's dad. He's a bounty hunter. Then it's James, who runs his own law firm and has two children, Kendra and Esme. Finally, it's the baby of the family, David. He has a girlfriend Emily, and they just got engaged. I was their mum for as long as I can remember. Tommy was ten, James was five, and David was two months old when our mother died. I looked after them on my own, though I don't see them a lot anymore."

"Ah," Charlotte said, understanding everything now. "If you don't mind, can I meet your brothers and their families? I just want to know them, I guess"

"Sure, they're all up here in Sacramento this weekend for a family reunion without constantly fighting for a change," Lisbon said brightly as she signalled to the waiter for the bill. "I did invite Jane, I mean your dad, but he refused. Said something about spring cleaning, which I don't buy for a second."

"Why not?" Charlotte asked, confused. Jane closed his eyes, hoping Lisbon wouldn't mention the smiley on the wall or the almost empty house he still suffered in after nine years. He knew Lisbon knew about those things, but wanted to keep that knowledge from his daughter's mind.

Lisbon sighed as she paid the bill and handed it back over to the grateful waiter. "Let's just say, your dad doesn't really do tidying up at all. Plus, he lives in a motel room. It doesn't have enough belonging in it to need spring cleaning. Also, it's July. You don't do spring cleaning in the summer."

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah, I guess not. You sure you don't mind me tagging along?"

"No, it'll be fun. Plus, I'd like you to meet them all."

"Really?"

"Really. We'll set off the day after tomorrow and spend the weekend in a fancy hotel with a spa and a boutique and everything."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Lisbon asked, and Charlotte looked down. Lisbon immediately brought her face back up gently. "Tell me," She said softly. Charlotte swallowed against the tears.

"I don't know, I just figured you might just be letting there be a roof over my head till I sort things out with my dad. This is all like you really care."

"Oh honey," Lisbon pulled Charlotte around the table and onto her lap where she held the girl tight as her tears overflowed her eyes and fell on Lisbon's blue shirt, staining the light material though Lisbon didn't seem to care as she petted the girl's back comfortingly. "I do care, that I can promise. If I didn't care, I wouldn't have helped you when I knew it would break the relationship between me and your dad honey. I want you to meet my family Charlotte. And if your dad can't wrap his head around you being alive, then you can always just stay with me for as long as you want."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Like, forever if I wanted to?"

"Forever and a day, if that's what you want."

"Thank you," Charlotte threw her arms around Lisbon's neck and hugged her tightly. Lisbon laughed and hugged her back. She knew that what Jane failed to understand was that Charlotte still wanted to be a little girl for a while longer yet, and every child needs someone to love them unconditionally and to feel secure. Lisbon cared, and that was enough for Charlotte at the moment.

"Hey, you want to go shopping tomorrow and get you some new clothes?"

"Are you sure? I mean, you only get a cop salary."

Lisbon laughed. "Yes, I do, but that doesn't mean I can't afford to do a massive shopping spree with you. You'll see."

"Well then, yes I'd love to!"

"We better get home then and get some sleep. We can't shop if we're too tired to move."

"Yeah, okay."

The two females paid the bill and left, unknowingly leaving Jane behind staring after them, more confused than before. He wanted to hate Lisbon for taking over the role of Angela in Charlotte's life, but her words on that subject had shaken him to his core. Lisbon didn't want to replace anyone, and didn't mind if she was considered a mother or not, she just wanted to be there for the child. His child.

Charlotte's story about the picture had made him think. He knew that Angela didn't like those types of pictures. When you grew up in the carnival, you had very little time to do anything like that, and the grown ups just told you they were crap and binned them in front of you. Angela loved Charlotte, he knew that, but she also had had less patience with the typical child things than he had done around Charlotte. It was likely that she had indeed binned the picture, but he didn't realise what effect it had had on Charlotte.

It was also strange to see Lisbon and Charlotte bonding like he had seen before his very eyes. He loved Charlotte, no doubt about it, and if Lisbon told him that the girl was Charlotte then he believed them both. Lisbon couldn't lie to him, and she'd long given up attempting it around him, choosing instead the quicker method of simply telling him the truth straight away. He was also glad to see them so close to one another, to the point that Charlotte would share stories about Angela with Lisbon, though a part of him wished that he was part of it all.

He sighed. He had a lot of making up to do.

**TBC..?**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A/N): Hey, I decided to get the next chapter up for you all. Just a quick thing first. I am English, not American. I am from the north of England and really don't have a clue about half the things American people say, let alone how they say it. All I can say is that I'm trying to understand it all. Oh, and Charlotte calls Angela Mother instead of mum not because I'm trying to make it more British, but because in her head she's trying not to get confused. She's calling Lisbon mum now, so to her she'd have to call Angela something different, but she was still her mum. Hence why Charlotte kept saying mother instead of mum.**

**Oh and thanks to everyone who reviewed, good or bad. I always want to make this fic better.**

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter.**

**I do not own the mentalist.**

**Hello?**

**Chapter 5**

They had only just gotten back into Lisbon's house when her phone rang. She sent Charlotte on upstairs to use the bathroom first before looking at the Caller ID. Patrick Jane. She hit the red button and threw it lightly down onto the nearby coffee table. First off he had yelled at her for no reason, and she had taken him back only to be badmouthed once more by him. There was only so much she could take in such a small amount of time. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knock at the front door.

Still lost in her thoughts, she went to open the door, shocked at who she found on the other side. Patrick Jane stood on the other side looking ashamed and apologetic.

"Jane."

"Lisbon."

"What do you want?"

"To talk. With you."

"What if I don't want to talk to you?" Lisbon asked defiantly, arms crossed in front of her, eyes glaring at the blonde man stood before her. Jane sighed.

"Then I guess that's your right. All I ask is that you listen for now. Please."

Lisbon nodded. "Okay. You have two minutes."

"Thanks," Jane cleared his throat, still not daring to make eye contact with the petite brunette. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you, said horrible things about you, everything. I just thought you were trying to replace Angela."

"I don't want to replace anyone Jane," Lisbon couldn't help but interrupt softly. Jane smiled bitterly, though all the bitterness was directed inwards.

"Oh, I know that now. I just thought that at the time. How can I say this in a way you'll understand? Um… That night I lost everything Lisbon. I lost my loving wife and my beautiful baby girl, though I guess she's not such a baby any more. I still don't know how she's alive, to be honest."

Lisbon nodded. "Wait here a minute." She disappeared into the house for a moment before returning with two photos and a piece of paper. She handed the two photos to Jane first. "That was taken a week before her 'death' right?" She asked, pointing to the first picture. Jane nodded shakily, clutching the photo with white knuckles. It was one of the happier photos, one where Charlotte was sat on a new swing he had put up for her in the garden, laughing at the camera held by a proud and laughing father. "And that's the crime scene photo," Lisbon said unnecessarily. Jane nodded, barely looking at it.

"I don't get it." Jane said, looking at Lisbon instead of the photos. Lisbon swallowed heavily.

"Look at the skin tone of the two girls, the length of the curls, and the length of the fingernails. They're all different. Not by much, I admit, but they are different."

Jane forced himself to compare the two photos and noticed the differences that Lisbon had pointed out. "How- how did I miss it?"

Lisbon smiled sympathetically. "You had the first photo and refused to look at the second one. I had the second one but didn't have the first one. No-one knew. When you found them, you wouldn't have noticed any differences. Your immediate guilt and grief prevented that and Red John knew it. It just shows the predictability of human nature, doesn't it?"

"Okay," He handed both photos back to Lisbon with shaking hands. "I still don't understand. I had to give a DNA sample to compare it to my daughter's. Wouldn't that have raised the flags on the fact she wasn't my daughter after all?"

Lisbon shook her head and handed the paper to Jane. "No, it wouldn't, unfortunately. The forensic assistant was called Alan Tanner. He was the brother of Orville Tanner, the accomplice to Red John's first murder. He switched out the DNA sample from the body with one that Red John had already prepared for him. That way there was only evidence pointing to her being your daughter and his plan was finished."

Jane looked down at the piece of paper. "Alan Tanner's dead?"

Lisbon nodded. "Yeah, shanked in jail last year. No-one was ever caught for it."

"Then how do you know it was him?"

"He left a note in his will for 'any cop who's interested enough to look for it.' I did some digging around after Charlotte showed up and went to see his lawyer. He gave me that note."

_Dear sir or ma'am, not sure which one, maybe both,_

_I remember one line from a film people watched every year without fail. It's from A Christmas Carol. "I wear the chain I forged in life. I made it link by link." Well, I have many sins and many links to the chain now, but I have to get the biggest one out there._

_Red John._

_He will kill me one day for this, that I know. I did some bad things since my brother's death, but this is something that needs to see the light of death before it is too late. In 2003, I was a forensic assistant with the Malibu police. I saw the Red John crime scene of Angela Ruskin-Jane, and Charlotte Anne Jane. Only, it isn't Charlotte Anne Jane who is dead. It is another little girl called Freya Gallows. I don't know where she's from. I was approached and made to switch the DNA samples to imply that Freya was Charlotte._

_This is my biggest regret. Mr Jane deserves closure, and his little girl deserves a family again. She's with someone called Namir, that's all I know. Do with this information what you please. I just hope this letter falls into the right hands. And maybe, just maybe, this won't be one of the links to the chain I will have to wear in the afterlife._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Alan Tanner_

Jane looked up at Lisbon incredulously, still clutching the note firmly. "Did you tell Charlotte about this?"

"No," Lisbon looked down at the ground uncomfortably. "She knew most of it already but I didn't want to scare her more than she is right now."

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Well, Charlotte wanted to meet you again, and I knew I couldn't- wouldn't keep this information from you. You had the right to know, she is your daughter after all."

Suddenly, Charlotte's voice came drifting to them. "Mum, where's my bag? I could've sworn I put it under the bed, but it ain't there anymore."

She suddenly showed up beside Lisbon at the door and Jane hurriedly put the note into his pocket to keep it from Charlotte's sight. "Oh," Charlotte said, looking curious. "I didn't know you were here."

"Charlotte…"

"What?"

"I'm going inside," Lisbon interrupted, looking uncomfortable, before disappearing into the house, leaving Charlotte and Jane on her doorstep to talk it out. They both watched her move back inside, almost as if it were in slow motion.

"Charlotte I- I'm sorry."

Charlotte folded her arms in front of her and fixed him with a stare that looked uncannily like Lisbon's. "Are you now?"

"Yes I am. I just- I thought Lisbon was replacing your mum and making you forget about her."

Charlotte shook her head. "I need a mum, dad. Teresa was willing to be my new mum, but I will never forget my real mum. That was a condition for Teresa before she even agreed to it. She'd be my new mum, but I could never ever forget my old one."

"Yeah, I figured as much when I had time to think about it."

"She's saved your worthless butt countless times, so yeah, you should've thought of it sooner."

"Please, I want to make it up to you, to both of you."

"Just a sec then," Charlotte said with a mischievous grin before running back inside. He heard the sound of hushed voices and quiet laughter before Charlotte came running back to the door. "You can make it up to us."

"How?"

"Be here tomorrow at eight."

"Why?" Jane asked, though he had a sinking feeling he knew exactly where this was heading.

"You're taking us shopping at that new massive mall that opened up last week."

"That one? But that'll be packed. I hate crowds like that, all staring at the shop windows and falling over the really slow people. It's going to be torture for me!" He whined dramatically, over-exaggerating in the hope she'd let him off. He had no such luck, unfortunately.

"Exactly." Charlotte said with a wide grin. "You deserve it all and we want to go shopping. It's a win-win situation."

"For who?"

"Us. Just don't forget to be here by eight tomorrow."

"I'll be here, don't worry."

Charlotte suddenly rushed forwards and enveloped Jane in a hug that he gladly reciprocated, wrapping his arms around his not-so-little girl.

"Thanks," She whispered into his ear. "I love you dad."

"I love you too Charlotte."

**TBC…?**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A/N): Hey, I think there's only a couple more chapters to this story, mainly going to be Jisbon with a lot of Charlotte thrown in to create a sort of family vibe about it. This chapter will mainly be the Jane making it up to Lisbon and Charlotte encouraging them. It's a bit short but it will be full of Lisbon and Charlotte. Jane hasn't quite made it up yet. Any suggestions as to how he'd make it up to Lisbon and his daughter? I'd love to know what you all think he should do. Next chapter won't be the last one although the last one might have Lisbon's brothers and their families in it. Maybe. I'm not sure yet. Next chapter will be the shopping trip and preparing to meet the Lisbon family, I think.**

**I do not own the mentalist.**

**Hello?**

**Chapter 6**

The next morning found Jane waiting nervously on the doorstep of Lisbon's house, usual three piece suit on, minus the jacket which he was holding in his hands to disguise the shaking of them. He had poured over the note the previous night for hours on end, and drew no concrete conclusions from it. They could hardly prosecute a dead guy, after all. He sighed and pushed all thoughts of the case and Red John out of his head. He didn't just have the creepy serial killer to focus on anymore. He had his little girl and a woman who cared deeply about him. He obviously needed to convince the lady in question a little more of his truthfulness, but he was well on his way to loving her and really wanted her to reciprocate his feelings. He just hoped he hadn't ruined everything between them with his stupid selfish words spoken in misplaced anger and betrayal. He was never really angry with Lisbon, but she just wouldn't leave him alone, so she usually ended up facing the brunt of his anger when he never really meant to. He hoped he could change and become the sweet guy that he knew Teresa really needed deep inside.

Sighing, he checked the time on his cell phone. Exactly eight o'clock. He really should get a watch as it would be much easier to get the time, but he was too used to using Lisbon's arm for that and she was too used to him suddenly grabbing her arm and moving it to near his face so he could see the watch she wore on her slender wrist. They did gain some odd looks from suspects and victims families when they did it, but they had never really cared. It worked for them, and that was all that mattered to them.

He rapped smartly on the door and heard the muffled noise of scurrying feet towards the door, before the large solid piece of wood opened to reveal Charlotte dressed in a tank top, an open shirt, and dark blue jeans. A pair of boots stood close to the door that she was obviously going to wear for the day.

"You're on time for a change! Come on in please, I was just waiting for mum- I mean Teresa, to eventually wake up and then we can finally go." Charlotte moved out of the way to allow Jane access into the house and he stepped through thankfully. He sat down on the couch in Lisbon's living room. The room was exactly the same as the last time he had been there, so he didn't have to explore around here at all. He knew exactly where everything was and all of Lisbon's particular tastes in this room.

Just then, Lisbon walked sleepily down the stairs clad only in her Lisbon 99 jersey, hand over her mouth to prevent herself from yawning again as she obviously disliked the early hour. She stopped still when she saw the visitor sat on her couch and opened her mouth, ready to speak when Charlotte practically dragged her into the kitchen much to Jane's amusement.

"Listen, before you start, he's here to make it up to us, especially you. I think we should at least give him a chance," Charlotte told her firmly before glancing at her shoes as she blushed slightly with the next question she whispered. "Do you seriously love my dad?"

Lisbon blushed and her eyes widened comically but she answered the clearly uncomfortable teen. "Yeah, I do. More than anything. But you'll always come first in my book. That's a no-brainer."

"That's all I needed to know. Now then, you need to go and get yourself washed and dressed and I'll make you some coffee and then we'll all go shopping okay?"

Lisbon looked wary but nodded anyway, covering her mouth as yet another yawn threatened to escape her. She really didn't take mornings well Charlotte smiled gently up at the older woman. "Thanks, for everything. It means a lot, mum." Lisbon grinned gently back and gave the teen an awkward hug which she gladly reciprocated. It was nice to be hugged by someone who you considered a mum again. She hoped she never took this woman's hugs for granted ever.

"You're welcome Charlie, no worries."

"Isn't that from the Lion King?" Charlotte asked cheekily, knowing that title was in the little amount of dvds that Lisbon owned next to her tv. Lisbon blushed again but shook her head playfully as some of the sleep left her brain, enough for her to mess with Charlotte a little anyway.

"That's hakuna matata, but yes it means no worries. Kendra loved the Lion King and watches it all the time. That's why I own it and its stored with all the kiddie things next to my tv."

"Nah, you know you secretly love it. You just won't admit it, that's all." Charlotte grinned as Lisbon just shook her head, sticking her tongue out at teh blonde haired girl and headed back up the stairs, calling back over her shoulder to a very uncomfortable Jane, who was still sat on the living room couch.

"And Jane, don't even think about doing that Mentalist, psychic shit on my things!"

**TBC, I promise.**


	7. Chapter 7

**(A/N): I'm so sorry about the amount of time I left on this one! I got stuck, and yeah I know, there's no excuse really for it but I finally got it done and it's actually pretty long for my standards. I am planning on rounding up all my ongoing fics before I start ANY new ones. I might actually stick to it this time. There's only one chapter left to this, as far as I know, but if anyone wants me to extend the end part of this chapter a lot, them please let me know and I'll try and squeeze it in, okay?**

**Oh, and special thanks to superpicklechops, who made me laugh so much when she told me that this fic resembled the promo for devil's cherry! I admit it's very alike to the promo, but mine ends happier, I'm sure of it.**

**I do not own the mentalist.**

**Hello**

**Chapter 7**

Lisbon came stumbling tiredly downstairs not ten minutes later wearing a plain black shirt, a pair of jeans, and a pair of flat purple boots. Her hair was loose and wavy down her back and she wore no makeup, clearly only because she saw no reason to do so today. Charlotte immediately handed her a steaming cup of coffee that Lisbon took from her thankfully as she inhaled the awakening aroma and poured it quickly down her throat. Both Jane and Charlotte winced as she did so, both hating coffee and infinitely preferring tea. Lisbon drained the cup within seconds and put the empty cup down with a sigh as her brain fully awoke with a lot of protest.

"Okay, so are we still going shopping?" She asked Charlotte, who nodded excitedly, almost clapping her hands together in glee. Lisbon found it hard not to smile at the girl's enthusiasm. Jane stood up reluctantly.

"Charlotte, why don't you go and wait in the car, okay?"

Charlotte glanced between her dad and the person she now thought of as a mum and nodded, taking the SUV keys from the kitchen counter and disappearing from the room as fast as humanely possible. Jane walked up to Lisbon slowly.

"How did she jump straight out from my window that first night?" He asked quietly, looking slightly ashamed of himself. "I thought she was a ghost so I didn't think much of it at the time, but now I know she's not, so how?"

"There was a mattress beneath the window," Lisbon admitted in a low voice, refusing to look at him at all, keeping her gaze to her boots. Jane nodded his head. It hurt that she wouldn't look at him, but he supposed he deserved it after all he had done to her lately. "I put it there so she wouldn't get hurt when she fell."

Jane blinked in surprise. He wasn't expecting that detail she pinned on to her sentence. Lisbon looked fully at Jane for the first time. "I wouldn't hurt her and you shouldn't either," She told him in a low voice. "I can take all that shit you throw at me, I'm used to it. Just don't hurt her, Jane. She's the best thing you'll ever have in your life and if you blow it with her, no-one will ever find your dead, mutilated body. Got it?"

"I don't throw shit at you like that all the time."

"I said, Got it?"

"Fine, fine I got it. I hurt Charlotte in any way, you kill me in a horrific manner."

"Exactly. Now let's get in the car. Charlotte's waiting for us."

"Lisbon," Jane began but it was too late, she'd already walked out of the door, jacket and bag gone with her. "Damn, stubborn woman," He muttered fondly to himself as he followed her out of the apartment door and down the stairs to the parking lot.

…

Charlotte looked happily round the mall, her face lit up like a Christmas tree. She ran from window to window, admiring all the displays. Lisbon sometimes joined in, with Jane carrying the shopping bags. Lisbon was good at pretending everything was fine for his daughter's sake, Jane would give her that. To the untrained eye, she appeared to be happy, carefree. However, he could see the wary glances she threw him, fear of being hurt once again brewing just beneath the surface.

Charlotte suddenly ran up to Lisbon, tugging on her hand as she pointed at a shop. "Please can we go in there? Please?"

Lisbon glanced at the shop in question and nodded, her face lighting up as she smiled back at the overenthusiastic teenager. Charlotte immediately ran into the shop with a little squeal, but Jane stopped Lisbon from following.

"You can't give her her own way every time you know Lisbon."

Lisbon glared at his hand placed on her arm until he let her go. "No Jane and I know that, but she hardly knows anything about a normal life. She doesn't know what it's like to have a normal day out, shopping and having fun without having to constantly worry about everything and anything. Just let me give her this one day of fun for her to remember. Then it's up to you to see to her needs. I've done my bit."

She made to move again, but Jane stopped her once more, his face livid. "That was all she was to you? Just something you had to put up with until you could get rid of her?"

Lisbon stared at him in a mixture of anger and horror. "What? No! You're just extremely possessive, that's all. You'll want to know where she is at every minute of every day, and that's no life for a teenage girl. She won't have any fun if her life becomes like that, so I want her to have a fun day while she still can."

"I'm not possessive."

Lisbon raised her eyebrows and looked pointedly down to where his fingers were once again wrapped around her wrist. He removed them instantly. Jane opened his mouth to speak when Charlotte came rushing back out of the shop to see what was taking so long.

"Is everything okay?"

Lisbon smiled at the teen. "Yeah its fine Charlie. Did you see anything you want yet?"

Charlotte's face lit up. "Yeah I did. Come on, I have to show you this shirt!"

…

Charlotte managed to catch Jane alone when Lisbon had gone up to the till to pay for something else that Charlotte had wanted.

"What did you say to her?"

Jane looked surprised, so Charlotte elaborated for him.

"She's upset; it doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. She's cute, doesn't have a boyfriend or husband or anything, so have you two-"

"That's enough," Jane cut her off, causing Charlotte to grin. "No we haven't and I don't feel all like that about her Charlotte, so don't start."

"It's Charlie," Charlotte corrected him, still grinning as sarcasm seeped into her tone. "And _of course_ you don't feel that way about her. I'm not blind you know, I can tell you guys love each other. There's really no point in lying to me, especially not to my face."

"Charlotte-"

"Charlie."

"You're as bad as Annie, you know that?"

"How's that then?"

"She refuses to be known by her actual name too. Now then, _Charlotte_, do you wanna go get Lisbon so we can go and eat at some point today?"

Charlotte rolled her eyes at the stubborn man, but nodded and walked over to where Lisbon had just finished paying. God, that man really needed to figure out his feelings for the brunette woman. Even she couldn't wait forever.

Lisbon grinned as Charlotte came up beside her.

"You okay Charlie?"

Charlotte grinned at the use of the nickname. At least one of them knew what she preferred to be called. "Yeah I am mum, but dad wants you to hurry up so we can go eat at some point today."

Lisbon shook her head, still smiling. "Always thinking about his stomach. Yeah, okay, I'm pretty much done here anyway."

They were about to turn back to where Jane was waiting impatiently when a male voice made itself known to the pair.

"Teresa?" The voice asked incredulously.

Both Lisbon and Charlotte turned to stare at the owner of the voice. Charlotte looked confused, but Lisbon grinned at the wealthy, dark haired man stood in front of them.

"Walter!" Teresa grinned up at none other than Walter Mashburn, who grinned back and pulled the petite woman into a hug, which she reciprocated immediately. Charlotte coughed loudly to alert them that they weren't the only ones stood around. Lisbon immediately pulled back, her face blushing ever so slightly. Walter turned to look at the teenager curiously.

"And who is this I have the pleasure of being in the presence of?" He asked in a posh accent. Lisbon bit her lip to keep from laughing as Charlotte simply raised one eyebrow in response.

"Depends who you are first."

Mashburn smiled and held his hand out politely. "Walter Mashburn. Now then, what's your name honey?"

"Honey? Seriously?" Charlotte rolled her eyes and glanced at Lisbon, who nodded slightly to tell her it was okay to speak freely to Mashburn. They'd come up with that last night in order to distinguish between friends and enemies when talking to them. "I'm Charlie. Um, I mean Charlotte. Oh, and never call me honey again if you want to keep all parts of your body intact." Mashburn winced at the mental image that formed at the girl's threat and Lisbon laughed.

"Well done Charlie, you've completely scared him now."

Charlotte grinned as Mashburn turned back to Lisbon. "Well, Teresa, how would you like to go to dinner with me later? You can always fob the kid off on someone else."

Charlotte's face grew cold and she could feel her heart pumping in her chest. Would Teresa really dump her on someone else to go out with the handsome rich jerk?

Lisbon's face softened at the invitation, but hardened even more once he mentioned dumping Charlotte off on someone else. It could give Charlotte and Jane some Father/Daughter quality time, but it would be far better to give Charlotte that choice first.

"I don't think so Walter," Lisbon said, her voice cold as she pulled Charlotte to her side. "I'm not fobbing Charlie off on anyone. She comes first Walter, so don't ever try that again."

Charlotte's eyes filled with tears, but they were of happiness. Teresa truly wanted her, and even declined dates purely to stay with her. No-one had ever done that for her before, and she was so happy she couldn't speak. Just then, Jane came hurrying up, his face cold and hard.

"Mashburn," He greeted the dark haired man coldly. "Trying to get Lisbon in your bed again?" Lisbon blushed bright red, Charlotte grinned at the jealousy in her dad's tone, and Mashburn just smiled shamelessly.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting a beautiful woman, Patrick."

"There is when you try and hit on her in front of my daughter."

"Your _what_?"

"My daughter Walter. She's stood right in front of you."

Walter looked from Jane to Charlotte to Lisbon and then back to Jane, who seemed to be almost livid with rage and jealousy. Mashburn grinned again and put his hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I know when I'm beaten. Teresa are you sure this is what you want?"

Lisbon stared straight into his eyes. "I know what I want Walter. Charlotte needs someone to look out for her, and she comes first in my eyes. Always, Walter."

Mashburn grinned again. "Okay, well it was nice to meet you Charlie, and to see you again Teresa, Patrick."

"Bye Walter," Lisbon said, looking relieved that he was going.

"Bye Jerk," Charlotte said, smiling sweetly as Lisbon and Jane had to bite back laughs. Charlotte was so honest and forthright in her opinions, it was actually quite funny to see someone at the receiving end of her spoken opinions.

"Bye Mashburn," Jane nodded courteously, and Walter walked away with a hand raised in farewell. Lisbon breathed a sigh of relief and Charlotte let out a small giggle.

"What?"

"'Again?'" Charlotte let out as she began laughing again. "You've already been in his bed once and he asked again?"

Lisbon looked embarrassed. "Hey I'm not talking about my sex life with you Charlie."

Charlotte started laughing again. "Don't worry, I've heard everything before."

Jane looked uncomfortable now as Charlotte turned her laughing eyes onto him. "And seriously dad? Could you get anymore jealous and insecure there?"

"Hey!" Jane protested immediately. "I do not get insecure!"

"But you didn't deny the jealous part," Charlotte pointed out, still laughing as it was Jane's turn to go red in embarrassment.

"Come on, let's go and eat," Lisbon interrupted and together, all three headed for the food court.

…

They had stayed at the mall for hours and hours, with Charlotte wanting everything under the sun and moon. Lisbon had also picked up some white and silver paint when they were wandering round. She figured the spare room could do with a paint job to change it from pink to a slightly older design. It also looked like she wouldn't have a spare room for her nieces anymore. Jane and Charlotte had talked about many things, but living arrangements wasn't one of the topics they had discussed on their way round. Lisbon didn't mind; she had actually grown quite fond of her unofficial daughter and roommate.

Charlotte had fallen fast asleep in the car on the way home, and the silence that had followed was tense and uncomfortable between the two adults in the vehicle. Neither Jane nor Lisbon really knew what to say to the other, so they decided to say nothing and wait for the other person to begin the conversation.

Jane pulled into a parking space in the lot outside Lisbon's apartment block. Lisbon glanced at him as she got out and opened one of the back doors of the car. She shook Charlotte softly, not wanting to startle the girl too much. She woke almost immediately, and blinked round sleepily.

"We home?" She asked, her voice slow and heavy with sleep. Lisbon nodded as she helped Charlotte out of the car slowly.

"Yeah, we're home. Just a few more feet and you can collapse in that lovely pink room of yours." Lisbon grinned as Charlotte groaned in annoyance, not really alert enough to temp down her reactions.

"Do I have to?"

"No, you can stay in mine for tonight. Only tonight though. We have to go to the hotel tomorrow."

Charlotte nodded, not really awake as Lisbon led her gently inside and up to Lisbon's room. Lisbon sat the girl down on the covers and made her lie down.

"I'll be back soon sweetie, go to sleep now."

"Yes mum," Charlotte murmured as she fell back into a deep sleep. Lisbon watched the girl's even breathing for a minute before making her way back down to the car, where Jane was struggling with several bags all at once.

"Here let me help," Lisbon told him as she took possession of half of the bags he had hold of.

"Thanks, they were pretty heavy." Jane told her as they made their way up to Lisbon's apartment together, both laden with bags. Lisbon smiled shyly at him, but said nothing. There wasn't much to say anyway.

It took them three trips each to bring in all the bags that had filled up the trunk and back seats of Lisbon's SUV. When Jane finally put the final bag down, they were both gasping for breath. Jane turned to go, still feeling like he didn't deserve to even be in Lisbon's presence, when the woman in question stopped him with a gentle hand on his arm.

"Do you want to do something good for Charlotte?" She asked awkwardly. Jane turned back and looked curiously at Lisbon.

"Like what?"

Lisbon held up a tin of white paint and a tin of silver. "Like painting her room while she sleeps?"

Jane grinned and took the white paint from her hand, their fingers brushing as he did so.

"Let's do this!"

…

"I didn't mean it you know."

Lisbon looked up from where she was applying silver paint to the wooden bedstead. "Didn't mean what Jane?"

"Please, it's Patrick." Jane told her from his position painting silver patterns on plain white walls. Lisbon looked like she was about to protest, so he continued before she could. "Please Teresa, you're practically raising my daughter, its Patrick now."

Lisbon nodded and looked back to the part she was painting. "So, you didn't mean what, Patrick?"

"Everything." He said simply, before going on to elaborate at Lisbon's confused expression. "I'm sorry for yelling at you and accusing you of hiding my daughter from me and for saying you'd get rid of her at the first opportunity. This," He indicated the room they were painting in the middle of the night with only the single light bulb in the centre of the room showing what they were doing within the space, "This alone proves you care, Teresa. You're even taking her on vacation with you to meet your family."

Lisbon blushed. "She wanted to and I didn't want to go alone."

Jane shook his head. "No, she wanted to go and you want your family to meet her. It's okay Teresa, I understand."

Lisbon looked up at him, placing the paintbrush on the newspaper beside her. "Listen Jane- er Patrick, if you don't want her to go…"

"No, I think she'll enjoy it. I don't want to take that away from her. You were right."

Lisbon's brow furrowed in confusion. "Right about what?"

"I am a bit possessive over her. I did lose her once, after all. I guess it's a good job you're here to remind me when it gets too much for her to handle."

"Jane, I won't be here for both of you forever. What about when you find someone to move on with, someone who can be a proper mum to Charlotte? I couldn't impose when that happens."

Jane smiled self-depreciatively. "Oh, well, Charlotte would never forgive me if I moved on."

"Patrick, I'm sure she'd understand-"

"That's not what I meant." He put down the fine paintbrush in his hand and knelt down in front of Lisbon. Carefully, he cupped Lisbon's face with his hands and looked into her eyes. "She wouldn't forgive me, Teresa. She'd say I was stupid for moving on from you. And to be honest, I don't really want to be with anyone but you."

And he linked their lips with one swift move. It was slow and tender, and both Jane and Lisbon felt how strong the bond was between them as fireworks exploded inside their closed lids.

Suddenly, Jane felt something wet on his face. He opened his eyes and moved back a little to see Lisbon sat with a devilish grin on her face holding her paintbrush in her hand.

"You didn't."

Lisbon just started giggling. Jane suddenly snatched the paintbrush from her hand and caught her on the nose, leaving a smear of silver paint on the tip. Lisbon's eyes crossed as she attempted to look at what he'd done.

"You'll pay for that."

…

Charlotte woke up the following morning to find a grinning Jane and Lisbon watching her.

"What?" She asked, subconsciously smoothing down her hair. Jane just grinned as Lisbon held her hand out for her to take. Charlotte took it, her brow furrowed in confusion as Jane took her other hand and the pair led her to the door of the spare room in Lisbon's house.

The door now bore the words CHARLOTTE'S ROOM in swirly silver letters on the plain white door. Charlotte's mouth dropped open as she stared at her dad and unofficial mum in shock.

"You can open the door you know," Lisbon told her gently. Charlotte took in a deep breath and pushed the door open slowly.

**TBC…? Yeah, I will, seeing as there's only one chapter left, I think.**


	8. Chapter 8

**(A/N): Hey, this is the final part! For quite a few reasons, 1) no-one was reviewing, 2) I got more than a little bored, 3) I wanted to focus on getting other fics finished, 4) I have so much coursework to do it is unbelievable, and 5) I just wanted to end it here on a positive note. I will do an epilogue if enough people want me to (That's at least six people, by the way).**

**This has a small, insy wincy spoiler for Devil's Cherry, so anyone who has watched that episode, which I think is just about everyone, will know what part is the spoiler. Other than that, same warnings as always. **

**I hope to see you all on other fics. Hope you enjoy this chapter and this fic in its entirety. Love you all x**

**I do not own the mentalist.**

**Hello**

**Chapter 8**

Charlotte looked into the room, her mouth open in shock as she took in the drastically changed room around her. What was once neon pink with a princess theme was now bright white with swirls of tasteful silver at different points around the light room. The hearts and flowers themed bed was now plain silver with white sheets and the bedside table was silver with white handles. There was no children's toys left around the floor any longer and the only clothes in the white wardrobe were the new ones that Lisbon and Jane had bought for Charlotte the day before. Charlotte looked round in wonder before turning to Lisbon and Jane, who had stayed in the doorway. Looking closely at the pair, she saw a tiny amount of silver paint on the tip of Lisbon's nose, and a bit of paint on Jane's neck. She grinned.

"You two-?"

"Did all of this for you, yes." Lisbon replied, smiling as the girl catapulted herself into her arms, hugging the older woman tightly.

"Thank you," She whispered into Lisbon's ear as Lisbon hugged Charlotte back just as tightly. Jane watched the pair with a happy smile. It was actually nice to see Lisbon and Charlotte interacting, now he had everything sorted out in his head at least.

Charlotte removed one arm from her hold around Lisbon and held it out to Jane. Lisbon looked at him with a shy smile and held out her arm too. Jane grinned and walked into the embrace of the other two.

They stayed like that for a while until a knock on the front door caused them to break the family moment reluctantly. Lisbon groaned but dragged herself away form the other two and down the stairs, Jane and Charlotte waited only a moment before following her down the stairs to the lower level.

Lisbon opened the door whilst rubbing her eyes at the sudden intake of sunlight. On her doorstep was James, her brother, with his two kids Esme and Kendra. Esme and Kendra squealed instantly at the sight of their aunt and hugged her legs happily. Lisbon hugged them back, watching James confusedly.

"Why are you here? I thought we were meeting at the hotel later!"

"We were," James shrugged helplessly. "But the two girls really wanted to see Auntie Reesey."

"Fine, fine, come on in then." Lisbon held open the door for them and the two girls bounded in happily. They always loved the visits to Auntie Reesey's house. They ran into the living room excitedly only to come to an abrupt halt in front of Charlotte, who was watching them curiously. Kendra was the first to speak up as Lisbon and James walked in as well.

"Auntie Reesey, who's this?"

Lisbon looked at Kendra, Esme, and then James. All three were watching her intently. Lisbon smiled happily, her face almost glowing.

"James, Kendra, Esme, this is Charlotte, my daughter. Charlotte, this is my brother James, and his two daughters Kendra and Esme."

Charlotte smiled up at James, her blonde curls falling back over her shoulders as she held out her hand politely.

"Hi, I'm Charlie."

James shook her hand gently. "Hi, I'm James. Um, Reese, what-"

"I'm not really her daughter, you know," Charlotte interrupted gently as she took her hand back. "Mum's just been really good to me."

"I'd do anything for you Charlie, you know that."

"Yeah, I know."

"Where's your dad anyway?"

"I'm here," Jane stated, walking out of the kitchen with a steaming cup of tea and a cup of coffee, which he handed to a grateful Lisbon. "What's with the party in here?"

"James, this is Patrick Jane. Jane, this is my brother James."

Jane glanced at James, reading him clearly, even in his half-asleep state. "You love your brothers dearly, but are closest to your sister. You're the most protective of her, and are currently debating whether or not to punch me. There's no need of course, your sister has done enough of that over the years to me. Your children mean the world to you, even if their mother doesn't show up very often. You don't mind at all as your children are the only thing you keep striving onwards for. You're at this reunion to see if the other two of your brothers are willing to forgive each other and your sister. You're a kind, caring man who would do anything for your family. You were probably the most understanding brother as a teenager, supporting Teresa where you could, providing money, tending to Teresa's injuries, things like that."

James looked shocked whilst Lisbon and Charlotte just rolled their eyes at Jane. Jane grinned. "So, how did I do?"

"Just brilliant," Lisbon replied sarcastically, her fingers pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop cold reading people, especially my family?"

James looked between Lisbon and Jane, a small smile on his face. "Well, you two have the old married couple bit down to a tee. The arguing, the in sync moments, the domestic side. So cute, as Annabeth would say."

Lisbon shook her head at James. "It's not Annabeth, its Annie."

Jane grinned at Lisbon's words. "So you finally got that part into your head?"

Lisbon smirked back. "Yeah I did, so now its time for you to start calling Charlotte, Charlie okay?"

Jane groaned at the trap he'd just put himself in as both Lisbon and Charlotte grinned mischievously at him. "Okay, okay I surrender."

Suddenly, Esme piped up. "Auntie Reesey?"

"Yes Esme?"

"Can we go play in the spare room for a bit with all the toys?"

"No honey, you can't. That's Charlie's room. I put all the toys into the dining room and you can play in there for a little while, okay?"

Charlotte smiled gratefully at Lisbon, even as Kendra and Esme pouted at the loss of their play room. Lisbon fixed the two twins with a firm expression. "Look you two, Charlie's family, and she has her own room. You're just going to have to play in the dining room, right?"

"But Auntie Reesey, it's not fair!" Kendra told her in a sulky voice.

"And why's that Kendra?"

"Because that was _our _room!" Esme chimed in.

Lisbon simply stared at the two girls before turning to James. "Explain it to them James, they're not gonna take it from me."

Lisbon glanced round, but Charlotte had disappeared. She glanced to Jane and both of them made their way up the stairs in search of whom they now considered _their_ daughter.

…

Charlotte sat on the window seat, staring out into the forests that covered the back of the block of apartments. How could she think Teresa would want her? Why did she think that her family would accept her? She shook her head as a lone tear made its way down her face. She wiped at it angrily. She never cried, and she wasn't about to start now.

Maybe it was best that she just disappeared again, moved away, like she'd never been there in the first place. They would be free to do whatever they wanted then, and she wouldn't be the one that held them back. Making her mind up, she grabbed the empty suitcase Teresa had bought for her the day before and began folding clothes into it.

A knock on the open door interrupted her actions. Both her mum and her dad were stood in the doorway, looking shocked. Charlotte could have sworn there were tears in her mum's eyes.

"Charlie, what are you doing?" Jane whispered in a low, broken voice. Charlotte swallowed before making her face blank and her voice cold.

"I'm packing, what else does it look like?" Lisbon flinched at the ice in the girl's tone and Charlotte immediately felt bad, though she didn't slow in her actions of packing.

"Why?" Lisbon whispered, looking like she was about to fall over.

"You never wanted me, either of you. Your family isn't going to accept me, so I might as well cut my losses and move on." Charlotte finished on the clothes and went on to the brand new books and CDs.

Jane still appeared to be in denial, and Lisbon was fighting back tears as she disappeared from the doorway, only to come back with something in her hands.

"I won't try and stop you from leaving," She whispered, desperately trying to keep the tears at bay. "But if you do go, I want you to take this with you." She handed the object over to Charlotte, who immediately glanced at it before stopping short in shock and guilt.

It was a picture taken yesterday of all three of them in the mall. Charlotte was sat in between the two adults and all three were smiling happily. Both Lisbon and Jane were watching the blonde child in between them, and love was clearly etched on their features. Charlotte put both hands on the picture in the silver frame, clearly meant to go in the room she was currently sat in. Lisbon nodded shortly and moved over to the doorway, where Jane put his arm around her waist as she buried her head in his shoulder. Charlotte looked up in time to see her mum with her head in her dad's shoulder and her dad looking as though he'd just been broken. Before she could say anything, James also appeared in the doorway.

"Reese? What's wrong?"

Lisbon made no attempt to answer as she kept her face out of sight. Jane held her closer to him.

"Charlotte wants to leave," Jane told James in a choked up voice. James looked confused.

"Why would she want that?" James turned round until he faced Charlotte. "Look, I don't know you Charlotte, but I know my sister. She was a mischief-causing, trouble-making brat for the first twelve years of her life. Then she had to become a mum overnight. I don't think it was easy for her, not at all. But she took over our mum really well. She viewed us all as her own kids too. She defended us from our dad when he drank too much, she put food on the table, even if I'm still not sure where that money came from-"

"You don't need to know how I got that money." Lisbon's muffled voice interrupted. James grinned at the response from his sister.

"Yeah, you're probably right. Anyway, long story short, she loved us so much, even if we weren't her children. She loves you the same way; I can see it in her eyes. If you leave, you'll break her. She won't stop loving you, no matter what you do or say. Please don't hurt her like this Charlotte. My kids are spoilt by their aunt, always have been. They just can't understand why they have to share her with you now. Just give us all a chance, okay?"

Charlotte looked up at James, a worried look on her face as she gripped the picture even tighter. "What about Red John though?"

James looked confused. "Who's Red John?"

Lisbon removed her head from Jane's shoulder, wiping fiercely at her red eyes. "Charlotte, Red John isn't an issue. He won't come after you."

"But he could come after you," Charlotte pointed out.

Lisbon shook her head. "I've been on his radar for years Charlotte. If he wanted me dead, I'd be dead by now. Nothing's going to happen to me, your dad, or you. People know about you now, so he can't kill you without causing a fuss, and he enjoys messing with your dad too much. Like I said, Red John isn't an issue."

Charlotte looked back at the picture. "And you don't want to get rid of me?"

"No," Lisbon said immediately, without any form of hesitation as she moved forward into the room. "Charlotte, I love you like my own, and let me tell you this, nothing in the world will make me stop loving you. You'll always have a home here, no matter what happens. Okay?"

"Even if things don't work out with my dad?"

"Even if things don't work out between me and your dad," Lisbon confirmed instantly. "I didn't care what he thought before, I don't care now. If staying here is what you want, then you can stay here forever. Nothing me or your dad says or does will change that fact."

Charlotte nodded before getting up and running to Lisbon, wrapping her arms around the woman whilst still holding the picture. "I'm so so sorry," She mumbled into Lisbon's shoulder as Lisbon's arms wrapped around the teenager back.

"Its fine Charlie, its all okay."

Jane watched from the doorway as James nudged him. "Aren't you gonna join in?"

Jane shook his head. "Nah, I'm not ruining the moment for them. Charlotte needs this moment and so does Teresa." James nodded his head in understanding as the two men watched the pair embracing in the middle of the room.

"Come on," James said eventually. "We really need to get to the hotel or Tommy will come hunting for us, and you know what he's like."

Lisbon and Charlotte reluctantly parted only to glare playfully at James. Lisbon finally nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Yeah, you're right. Me and Jane packed last night, but we didn't know what Charlotte wanted to take."

Charlotte shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I could take what I've already packed. It saves time that way, too."

James nodded. "Well, I'll take my two girls to the hotel and meet you three there in say, an hour?"

All three nodded. "Yeah," Jane told him. "We'll see you in an hour."

…

Charlotte gazed around herself in awe, even if she was still sleepy from the amount of time they'd spent driving there. They had set off around noon, as first Charlotte had to unpack then repack her suitcase, then the twins decided to create a mess and needed to be cleaned up, so it was quite late when they had arrived. The hotel was massive, and undoubtedly cost a lot of money. The furniture and decorations were expensive, but had good taste, and many different people milled about, either there on business, or pleasure, or even a bit of both. Lisbon glanced at Charlotte's awestruck face and smiled. Charlotte usually acted so self-sure and confident, that it was sometimes hard to remember that she hadn't had any of the normal experiences a girl usually had. Jane glanced at the two people in front of him with a smile on his face. Suddenly, two dark haired men popped up, seemingly from nowhere with James following them, an apologetic look on his face.

Tommy and David stopped short as they saw the two blonde people stood either side of Lisbon. She looked at Tommy first then David, a smile on her face.

"Tommy, David, this is my daughter, Charlotte, and this is Patrick Jane." Lisbon smiled as Charlotte practically beamed at the words of her being Lisbon's daughter. Tommy and David looked confused but James just smiled and stepped in front of them, holding his arm out to Charlotte.

"Would you like to see your suite?" He asked her and Charlotte nodded happily, linking her arm in the man's she now considered an uncle. James led her off, closely followed by Jane, leaving Lisbon alone with Tommy and David.

"Who is she Reese?" Tommy asked first. Lisbon crossed her arms in front of her chest defiantly.

"She's my daughter, Tommy, and nothing you can say or do will convince me otherwise."

David was the last to pipe up. "But Reese, you just _can't_ have a kid." Lisbon's jaw tightened.

"Yes I can, and I do. Face it and get over it. Charlotte's here and here is where she's staying no matter what. Now then, I'm going to catch them up. I'll see you all later, okay?"

She ran off before the two men could say even a word, entering the elevator and punching the button for her floor. As she stepped off the elevator, she was bombarded by a blur of blonde curls.

"Thank you mum," Charlotte whispered in her ear. Lisbon smiled and hugged the girl back. "You're welcome, Charlie. Now then, let's go and see who's got what bedroom, okay?"

"uh huh." Charlotte led Lisbon inside the suite happily, Lisbon following eagerly.

…

Jane came to sit on the end of Charlotte's bed. She sat up, knowing it was him, even in the dark. "Go on," She told him. "I don't mind, I want to hear it."

Jane nodded and cleared his throat.

"_You are safe, you are loved, and you are wise."_

Charlotte smiled even as a tear trickled down her pale face. "Its okay dad, it will all be okay."

Jane nodded tearfully as Lisbon walked into the room, placing a kiss on Charlotte's hair. "Night Charlie."

"Night mum." She said back, smiling. Lisbon was about to leave the room when Charlotte called her back.

"Mum?"

"Yeah Charlie?"

"Are we- are we a family?"

Lisbon smiled, almost glowing. "Yeah, yeah we are Charlie, you, me and your dad. A family is what we are. We might be more than a little unconventional, but we'll love each other forever, okay?"

"Okay." Charlotte snuggled beneath the covers and smiled. She was safe now, as Namir had ensured that as soon as she found either her dad or Teresa, Red John wouldn't come after her and she could live a happy life with people she loved. She was loved by both her dad and Teresa, as she had just heard from the latter's mouth. As for being wise, she thought as she slowly drifted to sleep, well, only time would tell for sure.

**THE END.**


End file.
